Throat plates for textile machines



Jan. 10, 1961 K. E. HOEF ER THROAT PLATES FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1957 INVENTOR.

ARLE. HOEFER ATTORNEY.

v 2,967,412 C3 pate ed Jan. 10,1931

THROAT PLATES FORTEXTILE MACHINES KarlErnest Hnefer; 100.7; Sullivan,St.-, Greensboro NtCr Filed Nov. 15, 1957, Ser. tsgnq 13 Claims; (QL. GIST-J25)";

Thisinvention reifates to'throat'plates for use-ih' circular knitting machines of the type that are co mr only'e rn ployed, for example, in the. manufacture, of hosiery and has for an important object thereof the provision of'a novel, economical type of throat plate provided with an adjustable, replaceable thread bearing member which may be quickly. and inexpensively replacedwhen worn, without necessitating replacement otthe entire throat plate.

A. feature of the invention which contributes, to the accomplishment of the above object resides in the provisionof'af; recessed'guideway or channel inthe only ortion at" the throat. plate coming into substantial frictionalcoritact with the thread and'a cooperating bearing memberor plate adapted to be adjustably and removably inserted within such guideway or channel.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

The figure is an exploded view, in perspective, of a throat plate and a cooperating bearing member constructed in accordance with the instant invention,

As shown in the drawing, a conventional throat plate or guide for use in textile machines is provided with an unconventional guideway or channel, U-shaped in cross section, adapted to receive a bearing member or plate 12 which may be inserted in the throat plate 10 and thereafter locked in position by means of screws 14 or other suitable fasteners.

Generally, throat plates of this type are made from a single piece of material. In use, the yarn or thread passing through the textile machine in which the throat plate is mounted exerts a tendency to cut into the material of the plate along the leading edge 16, particularly in the corner portions thereof, primarily because the thread is bent or displaced angularly as it passes over the edge. This cutting action, which is particularly acute with nylon yarn or thread, causes small grooves or furrows to be formed in the edge 16 and these, in turn, tend to cut or reduce the diameter of the thread as it passes through them on its way to the knitting mechanism. Thus the thread may be severely worn before it ever goes into the finished hosiery causing runs when the hosiery is worn.

In an attempt to overcome the above difficulties it has been proposed to make the throat plate of a ceramic material but this solution of the problem is open to the objection that textile machines are subjected to comparatively heavy strains and impact vibrations which have a tendency to break or crack the ceramic material, thus causing expensive and periodical breakdowns as well as imperfect quality products resulting from damaged throat plates.

With the foregoing in mind, the throat plate shown in the drawing is made from steel, or some other suitable material, that is capable of withstanding the strains and vibrations that are imparted to it in use.

In accordance with the foregoing, the throat plate is machined or milled to form a recess, a receptacle, or a guid way definedby a fiat bottom 20 and. sides22. -A-.

rectangularly. shaped. thread bearing member 12 hasan arcuate leading edge. which corresponds. exactly. to the,

curvature of the throat plate 10, as shown in the figure,, and is provided with upwardly extending wall. members 24 adapted to fit snugly within the side pockets or recesses,

22 formed-in the throat plate. A notch-or. indentation 26$ is formed in thetrailing edge of the'bearing plate. or meme ber 12 to be-engaged bytheffinger nailof theoperaton to" move. the plate forward when the screws 14. are. loosened by a suitable tool 30.. As illustrated. the;scre.w's, are; of the-Allen-head typein whichthe headrof the. screw; is provided with an octagonal countersink to receive. the tool.3,0, I

The bearing member 12 is made of spring, saw. on other tool steel which is hard. and durablein use.and can take the high polish requiredof it. Alsoit must be strong, enough that the. abutments. or walls- 24'will. sufficiently resist the thrust of the. screws 14.to lock themernber firmly inplace. It willrbe understood that: themembe i 12, while preferably made of polished steel, may. be of anymaterial capable. of,mee.ting the requirements herein specified.

ln operation, when. thezbearing plate 12. is assembled in the. throat; platev 10. and; clamped. in. place by means. of the screws.15l-,.the, assemblage is, to. all. intents and pur poses, "the" unitary device of the prior art. To prevent the thread or yarn from cutting intothe plate the edge 18 of the polished member 12 is preferably beveled or rounded. This roundness must be slight, just enough to take away the sharp edge, or else the machines operation is impaired. In the course of long usage, it wear is imparted to the throat plate, it will not be necessary to replace the entire plate but only the removable insert or bearing member 12 which is a relatively rapid and inexpensive operation.

Thus the present invention is directed to improved throat plates, provided with inserts or hearing members, that are more efiicient in operation and produce improved products, as well as savings in (a) the cost of base plates and (b) less down time in making repairs or replacements. Accordingly, the invention assures increased production, decreased costs and improved quality of products.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of. the invention and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: 1

1. A throat plate for use in circular knitting machines comprising, in combination, a throat plate having a U- shaped recess formed therein along its thread bearing edge and a removable U-shaped member adapted for insertion within said recess.

2. A removable thread bearing insert for a throat plate, having a U-shaped recess formed therein, said insert comprising, a substantially fiat, rectangularly shaped portion having an arcuate leading edge which is rounded to pre- I 5. A throat plate for use in circular knitting machines comprising in combination, a body portion having a U- shaped recess at one end thereof, a thread bearing portion conforming to the shape of the U-shaped recess and fitting into the U-shaped recess and means for securing said thread bearing portion to said body portion, whereby the thread bearing portion is an integral part of the body portion.

6. A throat plate for a circular knitting machine comprising, in combination, a throat plate, of conventional general configuration, a recess in said throat plate at the thread bearing and guiding end thereof, said recess extending over the entire thread bearing and guiding edges of said throat plate, a bearing member of substantially the same size and shape as said recess of highly polished hard material, and locking means for locking said bearing member in said throat plate, whereby a throat plate having a replaceable thread bearing and guiding edge is formed.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said recess and bearing member are generally U-shaped.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said throat plate is made of soft shock resistant metal and said hearing member is made of hard highly polished wear resistant material.

9. The combination of claim 6 and screws for locking said bearing member in said throat plate.

10. The combination of claim 6 wherein the bearing and guiding edge of said bearing member is beveled to present a rounded edge to thread passing thereover.

V throat plate within said channel including the thread hearing edges ofsaid throat plate, a U-shaped steel thread bearing member of substantially the same size and shape as said guideway, said thread bearing member being insertable in said guideway to substantially fill said guide way to complete said throat plate, said thread bearing member having slightly beveled thread bearing edges, andat least one set screw in said throat plate for clamping. said thread bearing member tightly in place in said guide-' way.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mitchell Dec. 17, 1929 Duraifourg Feb. 18, 1941 Shacklett et a1. Sept. 14, 1954 Porter et al. Oct. 30, 1956 

